About the Maker

Harvey J. Dean, Bladesmith

Harvey Dean strives to use the best quality materials in every knife he makes. He begins by hand-forging the blade in your choice of high carbon steel or his own Damascus. The knife is then completed with the customer's choice of handle material, fittings, and optional embellishments. Harvey prefers to use natural materials for handles, such as hardwoods, antler, pearl, and fossil ivory, but is open to the use of other types of handle materials at the request of the client. Nickel or sterling silver, iron, brass, bronze, or Damascus may be chosen for fittings. The customer may choose to enrich the knife by allowing Harvey to utilize file-work, engraving, gold-inlay, carvings or other types of embellishments. 

Harvey's goal is to make a knife both he and his customer can be proud of. The different styles of Harvey Dean's knives range from basic utility knives to hunters, camp knives, fighters, Bowies, and folders.  Harvey enjoys the challenge of variety and creativity as he produces other types of weaponry such as swords, battle axes, and creative pieces of an unknown or forgotten era.

Harvey has been handcrafting knives since 1981 and began hand-forging blades in 1986. As a member of the American Bladesmith Society he received his Mastersmith rating in 1992.  In the summer of 2004, Harvey was selected to serve on the American Bladesmith Society Board and served as Chairman of the Board from 2015 through 2019.  In 2007 Harvey was honored to be selected as one of twenty-five knifemakers to exhibit at the Art Knife Invitational.  

Harvey shares his knifemaking knowledge.  Many of the construction methods you see in handmade knives today have been directly influenced by Harvey's efforts.  He has been an instructor at the Texarkana College-American Bladesmith Society's "Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing" in Washington, Arkansas. Over the years, Harvey has taught at knifemaking seminars in a number of states--Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Michigan, Montana, New York, Virginia, and Texas.  He has also shared his knowledge during presentations at ABANA.  Along with Johnny Stout, Harvey hosts two knifemaking seminars a year in New Braunfels, Texas. His knives have won a number of awards and have been featured in many publications and magazines worldwide.  Most recently his knives have been included in "Ultimate Blades" book by Muzenart in China and in a coffee table book by Francesco Pachi of Italy.